This invention relates generally to air cleaners for internal combustion engines, and more particularly to means providing adjustability of mounting a single air cleaner cover on separate air cleaner elements such as in a "2.times.4" carburetor installation.
As used herein, the term "carburetor" is not limited to a fuel control device technically known as a carburetor; rather, it means and includes any fuel control device such as a fuel injection throttle body, which may have a flange means and by which it is mounted to the engine intake manifold, one or more air induction flanges or bores each having a throttle valve to control the flow of air to the engine and means for mounting an air cleaner thereon. That is, the invention is adapted for use with any air induction devices requiring an air cleaner cover.
The modification of a standard internal combustion engine to achieve maximum performance for racing purposes normally involves the replacement of the original equipment intake manifold and carburetor (or fuel injection throttle body) package with specialized intake manifolds and carburetors specifically designed for various competitive usages. Where feasible, the modified engine will use two four barrel carburetors, a configuration conventionally identified as "2.times.4".
Specialized 2.times.4 intake manifolds are marketed by various manufacturers for mounting upon the more popular stock engine blocks, such as the small block Chevrolet engines. The location of the intake openings of the manifold establishes the assembled relationship of the two carburetors to each other. Due to differences in manifold design between different manufacturers, the distance between the center lines of the two carburetors may vary, and in some instances the carburetor center lines may be offset from each other relative to the longitudinal center line of the manifold.
The typical air cleaner employed with these carburetors includes an annular ring type filter mounted within a holder or filter housing on top of the carburetor so that air flows radially through the filter to the carburetor. Such ring type air filters are sealed at their top and bottom sides by the housing and must be of an inner diameter which is greater than that of a circle enclosing the four barrels of the carburetor. For maximum air flow, the outer diameter of the filter should be as large as possible, however, this diameter is limited by the center line spacing of the two carburetors.
The air filter element is conventionally mounted upon the main body of its carburetor upon an upwardly facing shoulder on the main body provided with an outwardly projecting flange which supports the air cleaner housing with its ring-like filter element centered coaxially of the carburetor center line. The top of the air filter element is sealed usually by a circular plate or cover which is detachably held in position by means of a bail mounted bolt secured to the carburetor main body. In this arrangement, the ring-like filter element is coaxial with its carburetor center line, and the maximum possible outer diameter of the filter element and its housing is dictated by the center line spacing of the two carburetors.
The present invention is especially directed to universal air cleaner mounting assembly for dual carburetor systems in which annular air filter elements of a single standardized maximum size may be mounted upon dual carburetors located at center line spacings varying within presently encountered limits. A single one piece cover is employed to cover the tops of the two air cleaners.